Wolves in wolves clothing

The Episcopal Church of the USA versus the Anglican Church of North America as told by Mollie Hemingway of the Wall Street Journal (via Gene Veith). When the Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, N.Y., left the Episcopal Church over disagreements about what the Bible says about sexuality, the congregation offered to pay for [...]

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More Reformation Pastors Please

I was reminded by a friend that today the Church of England honours Richard Baxter, that tireless puritan of the 17th century.  He’s mostly known for his book “The Reformed Pastor.” But how reformational is The Reformed Pastor? One of the ways of framing the reformation debate is this: the Roman Catholic church had essentially [...]

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Favourite BCP prayer

Today was my last official 1662 Book of Common Prayer communion service as curate.  Aside from the prayer of humble access, this is the prayer I really love from the service.  It’s said after receiving communion and saying the Lord’s prayer: ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee, for that thou dost vouchsafe [...]

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Happy Friday

“You’re lucky I’m Church of England…” ht Jon Sidnell .

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Schori: Not too hung up on the mechanism

From Stand Firm in Faith Any number of things madden me about this: 1. If Jesus is a ‘mechanism’ for Schori – she ain’t a sister.  She’s just not.  If Jesus is incidental to the identity of ‘God’ she’s got the wrong god. 2. Apparently Schori looks to fruits of the Spirit in religious teachers [...]

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Bless me Vader I have sinned

Dan’s worried about wearing Anglican garb.  Don’t worry Dan, there’s a lot of cool clerical wear out there.  I think the guy at the back is Archdeacon or something.     .

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Surely Jesus would have said something…

I was at a meeting of local Anglican clergy yesterday and got talking to a local minister at the coffee break.  I offered to pour him a brew and he said, “Oh I’ve given up coffee for lent.  You’d better make it half a cup.” “Oh right.  Shall I make you a tea instead?” I [...]

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Luther vs Cranmer on Lord’s Supper

John Richardson (whose excellent blog is here) adds his voice to this discussion on Stand Firm in Faith.  He writes about the place of repentance in the communion service.  It chimes with a lot of what I wrote here:  I have long felt Anglicanism (specifically Thomas Cranmer) to be good at driving us to our knees [...]

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Four Bishops, Four Pearls

I was reflecting today that in the last fortnight I’ve received four pearls of wisdom from four Anglican bishops.  That’s right, I said Anglican bishops. The first pearl came from retired Bishop John Taylor who spoke at our ordination retreat.  He told the story of a pastoral visit to a very ill woman in hospital.  [...]

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Tom Wright on GAFCON

This is pause for thought…   Central to these questions is the puzzle about the new proposed structure. I am sure the GAFCON organisers are as horrified as I am to see today’s headlines about ‘a new church’. That doesn’t seem to be what they intended. But for that reason it is all the more [...]

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GAFCON’s Final Statement

I’m about to be ordained presbyter in the Anglican Church (in about 90 minutes!)  It’s heartening to know I’m joining guys like these!  Here’s the final statement of the GAFCON conference. Some extracts: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the Church and [...]

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Ordination Vows

Right now you can read live blogging of GAFCON and the EMA.  I give you live blogging of the Chichester diocese ordination retreat 2008!   On Sunday I’m being ordained into the presbyterate. In the Anglican church we’re ordained first as Deacons and then, usually the following year, as Presbyters (or “Priests”).  I’ve been reflecting on my [...]

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Prayer of humble access

I flew a kite here for the notion of confession following our taking of communion.  It wasn’t enthusiastically embraced! I was reminded on Sunday of how brilliant Thomas Cranmer’s ‘Prayer of humble access’ is.  In the Anglican church, this is what we pray before receiving communion.  Isn’t it great? We do not presume to come to this your [...]

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